The Scene Vault Podcast
by Rick Houston
At The Scene Vault Podcast, we're all about NASCAR history, all the time. Our interview guests shed new light on their lives and careers each and every week, and hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid draw on their long careers in and around the sport to provide expert analysis and commentary. New episodes drop every Wednesday at 6 a.m. Eastern.
Episodes
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Episode 420 -- Tony Furr's Lifetime in Racing, Dale Earnhardt and Skirting the Rules
Long before Dale Earnhardt became The Intimidator, he was a hungry young racer trying to make a name for himself on North Carolina's short tracks. Tony Furr knew him back then, and even put him behind the wheel of one of his race cars. For Furr, racing was a family business. His father, Henry…
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Episode 419 -- Dennis Roinick Remembers Young Dale Earnhardt, Rod Osterlund and Leaving NASCAR
When Dale Earnhardt won his first NASCAR Winston Cup Series race at Bristol in 1979, Dennis Roinick wasn't watching from the grandstands. He was going over the wall to service Earnhardt's car. A year later, he was there when the young driver claimed his first Winston Cup championship. This week…
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Episode 418 -- Dennis Roinick FINALY Shares Stories of Exploits with DiGard Racing and Racing Henry Benfield
We've heard some pretty wild stories about Henry Benfield over the years on The Scene Vault Podcast. This week, Dennis Roinick joins us with a few more of his own. Dennis looks back on his exploits with DiGard Racing, the personalities he encountered along the way, and his adventures racing Henry...
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Episode 417 -- In Honor of Darrell Waltrip
Following the recent news that NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip is stepping further away from public life, we wanted to do something different this week. This isn’t a rundown of wins, championships, and statistics. It’s a chance to spend some time with one of the biggest personalities NASCAR...
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Episode 416 -- Eddie Nau Remembers His Time at Ground Zero on 9'11
This episode is special for a couple of reasons. First, Eddie Nau was a weekend warrior for several years with Junior Johnson and Associates and then for Kranefuss-Haas. But then also … his full-time weekday job was as an officer with the New York City Police Department … which put him in the…
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Episode 415 -- Eddie Nau on Brotherhood at Junior Johnson & Associates and NYPD
This week in the first of what will be two installments, host Rick Houston sat down with Eddie Nau (pronounced NOW) last week to talk about his time working with Junior Johnson & Associates as a weekend warrior and his full-time job as a New York City police officer. That’s this week. NEXT week …...
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Episode 414 -- Dick Conway on Being a Mentor, Motorsports Photography and Public Relations
You probably don't know the name Dick Conway, but he was one of the greatest motorsports photographers ever AND one of the most influential marketing/public relations representatives in the 1980s, 90s and early 2000s Busch Series garage. More importantly to our story, Dick was also an incredibly...
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Episode 413 -- Honoring the 25th Anniversary of 9-11 with Former NASCAR Crew Memeber-FDNY Scottie Maxwell
To honor the 25th anniversary of 9/11, we share one of the most powerfully poignant interviews in The Scene Vault Podcast archives featuring former Hendrick Motorsports crew member and FDNY hero Scottie Maxwell.
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Episode 412 -- Mark Melling on Determination to Keep Team Afloat, Impact of 9-11 and Drag Racing Redemption
After going through the Mark Martin interview in our last three episodes, we’ll return to Mark Melling this week and finish up with him. In this episode, Mark Melling talks about his determination to continue racing in the wake of his dad Harry’s untimely death ... Jerry Nadeau’s move to Hendrick...
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Episode 411 -- NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin on Losing 1990 Championship, Relationship with Dale Earnhardt
Episode 411 -- NASCAR Hall of Famer on Losing 1990 Championship, Relationship with Dale Earnhardt
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Episode 410 -- NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin on Hitting Rock Bottom, Alcoholism and Beginning to Claw His Way Back
This week in our conversation with NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin … if there’s anything you need to know about what makes Mark tick, or how he became the man that he is today, you HAVE to listen to this segment without a doubt. When Mark talks about hitting rock bottom in this special episode…
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Episode 409 -- NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin on How Family Dysfunction Shaped His Life and Early Racing Career
This week in the first of what will be installments of our epic interview, NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin remembers his extraordinary ... yet ultimately dysfunctional ... upbringing with a larger-than-life father and "bad ass" mother. Mark also takes us through his meteoric rise through the ASA...
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Episode 408 -- Mark Melling on Impact of Bill Elliott's Departure, New Life with Lake Speed
This week, Mark Melling talks about the 1988 Winston Cup championship … Bill Elliott’s decision to leave Melling Racing to join Junior Johnson and Associates … and what it all meant in the aftermath … and how Lake Speed added a much-needed shot of stability to the organization. Hosts Rick Houston...
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Episode 407 -- Mark Melling on His Dad Harry Melling's Role in Getting Bill Elliott Up to Speed
This week in the first of what will be three installments, Mark Melling remembers a day at the race track with his dad … HARRY Melling … and how that day sparked Harry’s interest in maybe getting into the sport a little … or A LOT deeper. He talks about a water-balloon war with David Ifft and the...
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Episode 406 -- Steve Waid's Celebration of Life
Steve Waid's celebration of life was held Wednesday, July 15 at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte. Be our guest at the service on this very special episode.
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Episode 405 -- Jimmy Makar on Parting Ways with Dale Jarrett, Making It to the Mountaintop with Bobby Labonte
Rick Houston is joined this week by guest co-host Graig Hoffman, executive director at North Wilkesboro Speedway. This week in the third and final installment of our interview, Jimmy Makar remembers saying goodbye to Dale Jarrett as the driver for Joe Gibbs Racing, saying hello to DJ’s…
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Episode 404 -- Jimmy Makar on Leaving Penske Racing for Joe Gibbs and Brother-in-Law Dale Jarrett
Jimmy Makar takes listeners through the turbulent Blue Max Racing era with Rusty Wallace, which means financial trouble, the disappointment of losing the Winston Cup championship, MORE financial trouble, WINNING the Winston Cup championship and … you guessed it … financial trouble that would…
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Episode 403 -- Jimmy Makar on Parents' Love for Racing and the Road Trip From Hell
This week … Jimmy Makar, Part One. And IN Jimmy Makar, Part One, Jimmy talks about being a fan from the second his was born and how his dad Jim’s tenure as a Winston Cup team owner was short-lived but somehow also managed to sow the seeds for a lifetime in the sport. Jimmy takes us along for the...
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Episode 402 -- Tim Brewer on Hydraulics at Daytona and the Trickery That Wasn't in NASCAR's Greatest Race
NOTE: This episode and all to follow are dedicated to the memory of the late, great Steve Waid. Newly slenderized Michael McSwain joins host Rick Houston to discuss a whopper of an unfiltered Tim Brewer interview. This week, Brewer drops not one … not two … but three MAJOR bombshells about...
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Episode 401 -- In Memory of The Boss, Steve Waid
Steve Waid, this one's for you.
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Episode 400 -- In Memory of NASCAR Hall of Famer Ned Jarrett
It's not the 400th episode celebration we had planned ... but it's a celebration of life, nonetheless. Hosts Rick Houston and Jeffrey Baker remember the late, great champion driver, iconic broadcaster, NASCAR Hall of Fame, and even better human being ... Ned Jarrett.
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Episode 399 -- Jeffrey Baker on Parting Ways with Jeremy Mayfield and Apologizing to Mike Wallace
NOTE: Co-host Steve Waid is under the weather and won't be on the podcast this week. At this point, we're not quite sure when he might be able to return. Prayers would be sincerely appreciated. This week, in the third and final installment of our interview, Jeffrey Baker tells us about a fuel...
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Episode 398 -- In Memory of Kyle Busch
Former Las Vegas Motor Speedway President and General Manager Chris Powell and Toyota Racing Development's Joe Dan Bailey join hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid to remember the man, the myth, the enigma ... Kyle Busch.
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Episode 397 -- Jeffrey Baker on the Tabasco Fiasco, Nearly Winning the Legendary 1998 Daytona 500
This week in the second installment of our interview, Jeffrey Baker gives us an insider’s view of the Tabasco Fiasco, rooting AGAINST Dale Earnhardt in the closing laps of the 1998 Daytona 500 and the best advice he’s EVER received in NASCAR. We then dig into the May 14, 1998 issue of Winston Cup...
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Episode 396 -- Jeffrey Baker -- MASTER Storyteller
This week in our first segment … I sat down with Jeffrey Baker in our studio at the Universal Technical Institute in Mooresville … actually … back a few months ago. If you’ve been wondering WHY we asked Jeffrey to join our little family as one of our co-hosts, our conversation during that…
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Episode 395 -- Back to Our Normal Format with More EPIC Ben Leslie Cheating Stories
This week in the third and final installment of our epic conversation with Ben Leslie, we discuss: Superstar drivers with ego … and DRIVERS with ego Mark Martin’s massive influence at Roush Racing And MORE good ol’ fashioned cheating stories. In our second segment, we'll dive into the September…
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Firestorm Episode 10 -- The Day of Reckoning for The Firestorm Five
For 25 years, not a single driver in NASCAR's top three national touring divisions has been fatally injured during a race. That isn't luck. That's a legacy written in tragedy. This is the Firestorm finale — the story of the most radical safety transformation in motorsports history, the truth…
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Episode 394 -- Firestorm Reaction -- Legacy
Blaise Alexander. Adam Petty. Kenny Irwin. Tony Roper. Dale Earnhardt. Five drivers lost in the darkest two seasons in NASCAR history — and only one of them gets the headlines. After 10 episodes and two and a half months, Firestorm is complete. This is where we land. In this series finale, Steve...
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Firestorm Episode 9 -- Another One
The morning after Blaise Alexander died, I walked into the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Center and watched a member of the NASCAR press corps hold court for anyone who'd listen. Then he bellowed it: "Old Billy France has killed another one." I had never spoken a single word to that man in my...
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Episode 393 -- Jimmy Spencer Joins the Show to Remember His Protege Blaise Alexander
When Blaise Alexander crashed at Lowe's Motor Speedway on October 4, 2001, Jimmy Spencer was watching on the mega-screens from under the Winston hauler. He went to his knees. He knew. In this episode of The Scene Vault Podcast, "Mr. Excitement" Jimmy Spencer sits down with Steve Wade and Rick...
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Firestorm Episode 8 -- The Belt That Broke ... Dale Earnhardt's Last Unanswered Question
Dale Earnhardt's crash at the 2001 Daytona 500 shook NASCAR. What came next nearly destroyed it. Five days after the worst day in NASCAR history, a single announcement lit the sport on fire: the lap belt in Dale Earnhardt's car had failed. In an instant, grief turned to fury — and NASCAR entered...
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Episode 392 -- Tony Liberati FINALLY Shows Steve Waid and Rick Houston How to Do the Perfect Interview
Dale Earnhardt walked away. Rick never got a single word on the record — and he never forgot the feeling. Two of the most decorated journalists in NASCAR history sit down with Tony Liberati for a raw, unscored account of what it really cost to cover the sport from the inside — the access, the...
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Episode 391 -- Firestorm Reaction -- Firestorm Unleased
When Dale Earnhardt died on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, NASCAR didn't just lose a driver. It lost its Superman. And in the grief that followed, the sport nearly tore itself apart. A broken seat belt. A driver who liked it loose. A manufacturer forced to defend his product. A rival…
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Firestorm Episode 7 -- Inside the Heartbreaking Aftermath of the 2001 Daytona 500
When the #3 went silent on the final lap at Daytona, only one window net came down. From the broadcast booth, Darrell Waltrip was still celebrating his brother Michael's historic win. But on pit road, a thick sense of dread had already begun to spread across the Daytona landscape. Ken Schrader...
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Episode 390 -- Firestorm Reaction -- Heartbreak in the Minutes, Hours and Days Following the 2001 Daytona 500
Before the HANS device. Before the safer barriers. Before NASCAR changed forever — there was someone standing at the fence with a camera, watching drivers die. Bambi Mattila was the staff photographer for Winston Cup Scene and between 2000 and 2001, she was on-site for some of the darkest moments...
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Firestorm: Episode 6 -- The Devastating What Ifs of Dale Earnhardt and the 2001 Daytona 500
Dale Earnhardt. 2001 Daytona 500. The final hours of The Intimidator — reconstructed lap by lap, conversation by conversation, from the people who were there. On February 18, 2001, Earnhardt arrived at Daytona International Speedway on a perfect, Chamber of Commerce morning — and left in silence....
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Episode 389 -- Firestorm Reaction -- An Insider's View of the Day NASCAR Will Never Forget
The 2001 Daytona 500 was supposed to be a celebration. Michael Waltrip's first win. Dale Earnhardt Jr. running second. A dynasty moment for Dale Earnhardt Incorporated. Instead, it became one of the darkest days in NASCAR history — and a small group of journalists had hours to tell the world why....
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Beyond the Earnhardt Myth
Dale Earnhardt was The Intimidator on the track — but behind closed doors, he was a father concerned about losing his son, a friend who couldn't find the words to comfort a grieving parent and a man quietly pushing NASCAR to make cars safer just weeks before his death at the 2001 Daytona 500. In...
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Episode 388 -- Firestorm Reaction -- Beyond the Earnhardt Myth
In this episode of The Scene Vault Podcast, hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid sit down with Danny Culler, who served as Dale Earnhardt's spotter and close friend, to share incredible behind-the-scenes stories about the real Dale Earnhardt. 🔹 What you'll hear in this episode: How Dale secretly…
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Firestorm: Overshadowed by Earnhardt Forgotten Fatality
In the year 2000, the NASCAR community was shaken by three heartbreaking fatalities, including the loss of beloved driver Tony Roper. Yet, just four months later, Tony's tragic passing would be largely overshadowed by the devastating loss of Dale Earnhardt. In this episode of The Scene Vault...
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Episode 387 -- Firestorm Reaction -- Forgotten Fatality
In this powerful episode of The Scene Vault Podcast, we honor the life, career and enduring legacy of NASCAR driver Tony Roper. Joined by special guest Tony Raines, we dive deep into the heartbreaking realities of the 2000 NASCAR season. We share untold stories of Roper's fierce personality, his...
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Dale Earnhardt, Candy Asses and the Gathering Storm in the NASCAR Safety Revolution
In the summer of 2000, NASCAR faced a massive safety firestorm. But while many drivers pleaded for change following the tragic crashes of Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Sr. stood his ground, famously calling out the "candy asses" who wanted to slow the...
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Episode 386 -- Firestorm Reaction -- A Gathering Storm in the NASCAR Safety Revolution
Hosts Rick Houston, Steve Waid and Jeffrey Baker discuss the third episode of our new documentary podcast series, Firestorm: 2000-2001 -- The Years That Forever Changed NASCAR. In later years, a perception would develop that NASCAR did not react fast enough to accidents that claimed the lives of...
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Episode 385 -- Firestorm Reaction -- Two Accidents, Two Funerals, Same Track, Same Turn
Slugger Labbe, who served as Kenny Irwin's first Winston Cup crew chief, joins co-hosts Rick Houston, Steve Waid and Jeffrey Baker to remember the promising young driver. In this episode of The Scene Vault Podcast, we dive deep into the heartbreaking "Firestorm" era of the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup...
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Firestorm: Two Accidents -- Two Funerals
In the summer of 2000, NASCAR faced one of its darkest periods. Just eight weeks after the loss of Adam Petty, the racing world was shattered again by the death of Kenny Irwin at the exact same track. In this episode of Firestorm: 2000-2001 -- The Years That Forever Changed NASCAR, we look back…
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Firestorm The Rise & Tragedy of Adam Petty – The NASCAR Loss That Changed Everything
He was the first fourth-generation athlete in professional sports history, carrying the most famous surname in NASCAR. But on a dark day in New Hampshire, the future of the Petty legacy—and the sport itself—was changed forever. In this episode of Firestorm, we look back at the brief but bright...
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Episode 384 -- Firestorm Reaction -- Heir to the Throne
In this powerful reaction episode to the first episode of Firestorm: 2000-2001 -- The Years That Forever Changed NASCAR, we revisit one of the most heartbreaking moments in NASCAR history ... the tragic loss of Adam Petty. Join hosts Rick Houston, Steve Waid and Tony Liberati as we discuss the...
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Episode 383 -- Ben Leslie and the Million-Dollar Nose Job
Jeff Hammond, Darrell Waltrip's longtime crew chief and former Fox Sports commentator, makes his debut as co-host of The Scene Vault Podcast as we drop news of the upcoming re-release of the 10-episode docuseries Firestorm: 2000-2001 -- The Years That Forever Changed NASCAR. Ben Leslie drops some...
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Episode 382 -- Ben Leslie on Racing with Brother Tracy and Begging Steve Hmiel, Robin Pemberton for Roush Racing Gig
This week in the first of what will be three segments, Ben Leslie follows his older brother Tracy up the racing ladder, a path that led them from Michigan to the Busch Series. Ben ends up begging Roush Racing’s Steve Hmiel and Robin Pemberton for a job and eventually lands a gig with the team in...
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Episode 381 -- Bobby Hutchens on Dale Earnhardt, Loss of Wife and His Son Trey's Racing Career
We’ve got fresh meat sitting in with us today … Penske Racing's own Jeffrey Baker. I sat down a while back with Jeffrey for the podcast … we haven’t run that interview yet … BUT … when we started talking about the third co-host, asking Jeffrey to be a part of all this was a no brainer. This week…
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About this show
At The Scene Vault Podcast, we're all about NASCAR history, all the time. Our interview guests shed new light on their lives and careers each and every week, and hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid draw on their long careers in and around the sport to provide expert analysis and commentary. New episodes drop every Wednesday at 6 a.m. Eastern.
Hosted by
Rick Houston
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